Does having the most power automatically make it the best off-roader?

It is flat-out uncommon for pickup makers to brag about straight-line performance over payload and towing capacities. But for the 2021 Ram 1500 TRX, speed and agility are most important since the primary mission is to take down the Ford F-150 Raptor in onand off-road performance. No ifs, ands or buts.

The Raptor has been the goldstandard off-roader for years.

The wider body is lifted, there are protective skid plates and oversize knobby tires as well as extra body cladding. This is all stuff that hardcore buyers would normally get from aftermarket suppliers.

With the Raptor being a class unto itself — and a highly popular one at that — Ford has enjoyed many competition-absent years while other truck producers seem content to add mostly trim and content options to create similar, but less extreme models.

That all changes with the RAM TRX, a pull-no-punches Crew Cab that on paper meets or exceeds the Raptor’s capabilities, and then some.

At first view, the TRX (you can expect that it will be unofficially labeled T-REX) is one tough-looking machine. The blacked-out front end appears downright menacing, which is a macho-look requisite for trucks of this caliber. The hood’s prominent scoop is not just for show as it directs considerable air into the engine bay and is also home to a trio of running lights. A large airbox is claimed to keep debris out of the intake system.

The body is finished with flared fenders that add eight inches of width over the standard Ram. They enclose the 35-inch Goodyear Wrangler Territory All-Terrain rubber that also increase the track width.

Separating the TRX from mainstream Ram is a reinforced frame and an independent front suspension that uses mostly aluminum components. There’s also a unique

Dana 60 rear axle with an electronic locking differential engineered specifically for off-road use. Bilsteinbrand continuously variable (active) shocks are installed at all four corners and help

There are obvious TRX design touches in the cabin, and the performance pages in the infotainment system are geared toward off-road needs. control the more than 13 inches of suspension travel (40 percent greater than a standard Ram 1500). There’s also an upgraded transfer case for the four-wheel-drive system.

The four-door cabin is pretty much standard Ram fare, but it does come with a sporty flat-bottom steering wheel and special black and red TRX trim for the seats. Leather covers plus a carbon-fiber-trim package are optional.

If there’s an ace in the hole for the TRX it’s a supercharged 6.2-liter

V-8 that was originally created for the Dodge Challenger and Charger Hellcat models. In the Ram TRX it’s rated at 702 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque. Those numbers are considerably more stirring than the Raptor’s 450 horsepower and 450 pound-feet from its twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V-6. There is a rumor, however, that Ford might respond to the TRX with a supercharged 5.2-liter V-8 originating with the

The blue parts show the structural enhancements over the standard Ram. Other upgrades include Bilstein shocks and, of course, the 702-horsepower supercharged V-8.

Mustang Shelby 500 that puts out 760 horsepower and 625 pound-feet. Stay tuned for that one.

Touting straight acceleration, Ram claims the TRX can charge to 60 mph from rest in 4.5 seconds and hit 100 mph in 10.5 seconds. The standing quarter mile — a statistic seldom used for a truck — flashes by in as sports-car-like 12.9 seconds at a speed of 108 mph. Not too bad for a 6,350-pound pickup.

Those numbers are attained using a launch-control system that applies the maximum amount of power without spinning the tires.

TRX pricing starts at $71,700, including destination charges. A special loaded-to-the-gills Launch Edition rings in at more than $92,000, but all 702 copies have been snapped up. Not included in the base price is an array of active safety tech

(e.g. automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assist and pedestrian detection). Also available is rearparking assist, a 360-degree surround-view camera, a dualpane power sunroof and a 19-speaker audio system.

On the streets or off in the bush, swamp or rockstrewn terra firma, the Ram 1500 TRX has the guts and the hardware to conquer it all, while looking cool at the same time.

If it is better than the Ford Raptor — or at least on par — that might be more importantp for Ram overall than

PHOTO: RAM Ordinarily, a big scoop that feeds the engine air also feeds it dirt, water and other debris. The TRX has a special airbox that prevents this.